Copyright sportskeeda
Former New York Rangers player Arthur Kaliyev was the subject of a lengthy expose in the NY Post, published on November 3. In the piece, Kaliyev’s severe gambling problem was brought to light. The problem, which included defrauding his ex-girlfriend and ex-teammates of tens of thousands of dollars, has led to significant issues that could lead to legal troubles at some point.The expose painted a picture of Arthur Kaliyev preying on his ex-girlfriend to fund his gambling addiction. The allegations state that Kaliyev gained access to his former partner’s accounts and utilized them to withdraw money.In one incident, Arthur Kaliyev’s ex-partner, model Lauren Mochen, cashed supposed checks from Kaliyev’s Russia-based family business in Mochen’s account. Mochen then gave Kaliyev the money, expecting the checks to clear.Kaliyev justified these unorthodox transactions by claiming that his family had access to his accounts. The family would then siphon off his NHL pay to cover the family business expenses. So, Kaliyev resorted to the trusting Mochen to aid him in accessing his own money.Mochen found out about the fraudulent nature of Kaliyev’s dealings through phone calls she got from her bank, claiming that she had deposited fraudulent checks.The situation boiled over Mochen’s PayPal account. According to the model, Arthur Kaliyev had consistently picked off several thousands of dollars from here account. It got to a point where he used Mochen’s personal information to create a separate account, which he used to siphon off even more funds.Arthur Kaliyev defrauded former teammates in Los AngelesAs Mochen sought help for what was an evident gambling problem, Kaliyev’s attitude and temper turned violent. But the tip off wasn’t his temper. It was confirmation from other sources that convinced Mochen Kaliyev was in trouble.That confirmation came from Kaliyev’s best friend, Igor Larionov II, who currently plays with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL. Another highly credible source was LA Kings defenseman Drew Doughty. Doughty, in particular, had told Larionov that Kaliyev owed several Kings’ players roughly $50,000 to cover expenses, with gambling debts among them.The text messages Mochen provided the NY Post showed how Larionov had purportedly spoken with Doughty about the issue. When Mochen finally confronted Kaliyev about the issue, she suggested the former Rangers’ forward enter the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The Russian forward proceeded to threaten Mochen with physical attacks if she brought up the issues.Kaliyev is now with the Ottawa Senators organization. The team declined to comment on the matter in the Post’s piece. Mochen, meanwhile, is no longer involved with Kaliyev. Their three-year relationship has ended, with the model filing a report with the Saginaw, Michigan police.No charges have been brought forward against Kaliyev at the time of this writing. However, the troubling details of the allegations in the incident bring to light what could be one of the worst gambling addiction issues among pro athletes to date.
